2 hours ago Blaming people for poor mental health not part of Labour’s jobs plan, says minister – UK politics live

Alison McGovern says UK was unusual in not seeing employment rise after the pandemicAlison McGovern, the employment minister, said this morning she still has not decided who she will vote on teh assisted dying private member’s bill on Friday. MPs have a free vote.Explaining her dilemma, McGovern said:I haven’t decided how I’m going to vote. I’ve listened to my constituents who have been so kind and so generous to share with me their experiences, and I want to listen to my colleagues in the debate in full and decide how to vote.”I think it’s so important that people are able to have a good death and that families feel that their loved one was able to die in the most peaceful way possible in accordance with their views, but I haven’t decided on this issue.McGovern said it was good that pe...

Politics

2 hours ago ‘No one has grappled’ with how courts should deal with assisted dying requests, says expert

Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, a former lord chief justice, says details of the legal process have not been worked outUK politics live – latest updatesA former lord chief justice has warned that assisted dying could have a major impact on the court system, saying “no one has grappled with the detail” of the impact of the legislation on family courts.Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who held the role between 2013 and 2017, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the process of the assisted dying requests coming before the courts needed “working out precisely.” Continue reading...

Events

3 hours ago Keir Starmer’s jobs plan won’t work because Labour are ducking tough welfare decisions, Tories claim – UK politics live

PM set to unveil what government calls 'biggest employment reforms in generation’ as Tories say he is not making tough calls on sickness and benefitsGood morning. Today the government is unveiling what it is calling, in the headline on its overnight press release, the “biggest employment reforms in a generation”. The reforms are intended to tackle the fact that Britain is the only major economy where the employment rate has fallen over the last five years, largely because more people are out of work due to long-term ill health. A white paper called Get Britain Working is being published later, and Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, is due to make a statement in the Commons later.In its overnight briefing, the Department for Work and Pensions has already flagged up numerous in...

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4 hours ago UK politics latest: Labour to unveil plans to slash spiralling benefits bill and get millions back into work

Government set to announce measures to get more than two million Britons back into work

Economics

9 hours ago China and Canada respond to Trump’s tariff threats and border comments – live

China’s embassy in Washington has responded to Trump’s announcement, saying that no one will win a trade war or tariff war’Prosecutors drop federal cases against TrumpCorey Lewandowski, an adviser to Donald Trump, has said that he and the president-elect have “no concerns at all” regarding Pete Hegseth’s confirmation by the Senate as the next US secretary of defense.During an appearance on NewsMax, Lewandowski was asked if Trump had any concerns about Hegseth and his nomination, to which Lewandowski responded: “We have no concerns at all.” Continue reading...

Politics

11 hours ago Labour unveils plan to reduce benefits bill as Starmer declares system ‘simply isn’t working’

Announcement comes after the PM pledged to tackle UK’s ‘bulging benefits bill’

Economics

12 hours ago Trump threatens China, Mexico and Canada with tariffs over opioids and immigration – live

Decision comes hours after Jack Smith filed motion to drop election interference charges and classified documents case against president-electProsecutors drop federal cases against TrumpCorey Lewandowski, an adviser to Donald Trump, has said that he and the president-elect have “no concerns at all” regarding Pete Hegseth’s confirmation by the Senate as the next US secretary of defense.During an appearance on NewsMax, Lewandowski was asked if Trump had any concerns about Hegseth and his nomination, to which Lewandowski responded: “We have no concerns at all.” Continue reading...

Politics

17 hours ago Jack Smith drops election interference charges and classified documents case against Donald Trump – live

Special counsel points to longstanding ban on criminal prosecution of a sitting president and says team faced unprecedented situationProsecutors drop Trump criminal case over efforts to overturn 2020 electionCorey Lewandowski, an adviser to Donald Trump, has said that he and the president-elect have “no concerns at all” regarding Pete Hegseth’s confirmation by the Senate as the next US secretary of defense.During an appearance on NewsMax, Lewandowski was asked if Trump had any concerns about Hegseth and his nomination, to which Lewandowski responded: “We have no concerns at all.” Continue reading...

Politics

18 hours ago Prosecutors drop election interference and documents cases against Trump

Special counsel Jack Smith dismisses the two federal criminal cases before president-elect’s inaugurationUS politics – live updatesSpecial counsel prosecutors dismissed the two federal criminal cases against Donald Trump in separate court filings on Monday, as they bowed to the reality that they would not be completed or proceed to trial before Trump returns to the presidency next year.The withdrawals marked the end of the years-long legal battle between Trump and the special counsel Jack Smith, and reflected the extraordinary ability of Trump to sidestep an indictment that would have sunk the presidential bid of anyone else. Continue reading...

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